Hundreds of spots remain in Cleveland's top-rated public schools this fall

Former seniors at the Cleveland School of Science and Medicine at the John Hay campus rehearse for graduation. Though that school is a showcase of the district, seats remain open to new students there this fall.Marvin Fong / The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Students have yet to fill Cleveland's top- rated public schools less than two weeks before the start of the school year.

Some of the Breakthrough and ICan charter schools that partner with the district also have spots available in their highly-rated schools. Charter schools are privately-run schools that are public - open to all students and which receive tax money from the state.

"Schools start on Aug. 19 and people need to make decisions now," said Eric Gordon, the district's chief executive officer. "We're on short time. Families need to know what the plan for their child is."

Michelle Pierre-Farid, the district's chief academic officer, said children can switch schools even after the school year starts Aug. 19, but completing the paperwork by Friday, Aug. 16 will let them start the school year in their chosen school.

The Cleveland school district has been shifting over the last several years to a "portfolio"-style district, where families can actively choose which schools their children attend. While the district still has neighborhood schools that students are automatically assigned to if they do not make another choice, families can pick from multiple schools around the city.

Those choices also include charter schools. Many districts in Ohio view charter schools as competitors that steal students and state money from them, but Cleveland, like other portfolio districts, welcomes charters that provide quality education.

District Chief Executive Officer Eric Gordon has said repeatedly that he is more concerned with making sure each child is properly educated than with whether the district or a charter does it.

The district sponsors or authorizes most of the schools in the Breakthrough network, which includes the E Prep, Intergenerational and Citizens Academy models. And the district has signed partnership agreements with Breakthrough, I Can and the new Stepstone Academy to share levy money and to have those schools' results on state tests counted on the district's state report cards.

Having so many school choices means families must learn to take advantage of them, Gordon said. He stressed that parents may pick a school because of its state rating or for other reasons - atmosphere, location, a principal or teacher - but he wants them to know they can change if they want.

"We want families to actively choose," he said.

Making a choice has not caught on in Cleveland as it has in other cities, where top-rated schools have long waiting lists or lotteries for positions. The district is trying to make school choice a part of the city's culture.

This summer it launched a new district website, clevelandmetroschools.org, that it hopes will make it easier for parents to compare the different schools their children can choose. More improvements are planned next year for the site.

It is also running ads on the radio promoting school choice and the website.

In addition, the district also hired a full-time recruiter to promote strong schools in neighborhoods, where some parents have picked charter schools that have poor track records on state tests.

The district's campaign is not the only one promoting school choice. The Cleveland Transformation Alliance, a new panel created last year by Mayor Frank Jackson and the state, is also publicizing quality schools by neighborhoods to parents.

While the school district's campaign focuses mainly on district schools, the Alliance is highlighting district and charter schools - even highly-rated charters that do not partner with the district.

To attend an ICan school, contact the admissions office at 888-977- ICAN
or online at www.icanschools.org.

Here are the total number of openings for district and partnering charter schools that were rated the
equivalent of A or B on the last state report cards a year ago. New report card
results based on 2012-13 tests will be released later this month, after the
start of school.

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